Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Conservation Library open to the public?

You may arrange a visit to the library. Library materials circulate only to FWS employees and NCTC students and staff. We provide interlibrary loan lending of our materials so request items via your home libraryother library using the interlibrary loan process. You are welcome to view the FWS Conservation Library Discovery Service for interlibrary loan purposes.

 

Are the information services of the Conservation Library available from my FWS field office?

Yes, absolutely. Our primary mission is to serve our FWS employees while we service the training needs of our NCTC staff and students. Please see all the resources available to FWS and NCTC users here.

 

Where can I get older FWS technical reports and resource publications?

The FWS Conservation Library collection includes a number of older publications so please check the FWS Conservation Library Discovery Service first.

 

Where can I send donations to the Library?

Please submit a list of the materials you wish to donate including author, title and copyright year. We will respond by checking off all items we would like to add to the library collection. Please send via email to library@fws.gov or mail to:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Conservation Training Center
Conservation Library
698 Conservation Way
Shepherdstown, WV 25443-4024

Once we have determined what the library could use please use the above address for shipping. If you have difficulty paying for the shipping please let us know.

 

Can I request a book to be interlibrary loaned from another library?

If you are an NCTC student, course leader or instructor and will pick up the material at the library then the library can supply you with a book or other material on an interlibrary loan basis.

Service employees not at NCTC:

If you request material that is not in the Conservation Library, we can find you a copy at another library, receive and process before then FedExing it to you at your field station. of our many only refer you to another library near your office which has the material you need.

Note: journal articles from journals to which we do not subscribe can be requested directly from our discovery service using the following instructions or send an email to the library.

Please be aware that if you are unable to return a loaned book on time (i.e. before its due date as established by the home library), your FWS program is subject to be billed any fees incurred as a result. FWS employees that do not return ILL books by the home library's due date will be prohibited from utilizing the ILL program for a six month period of time. After that, there will be a six month probationary period during which the FWS employee's account will be closely monitored by USFWS Conservation Library staff to ensure timely return of interlibrary loaned materials. 

 

Where can I get a copy of various wildlife laws?

Summaries of Federal and State wildlife laws are available here. The actual text of the laws themselves can be retrieved at FDSys (GPO)

 

Where can I get a reference to a CFR Title?

If you do not know about FDSys then today's your lucky day. This site provides easy access to not only the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) but also the Federal Register and the United States Code to name a few.

 

Where can I get an up-to-date list of endangered species?

Check out the Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS) for the current status of all endangered and threatened species. Go to CITES as well to view their listings.

 

Where can I find information about conservation history?

The NCTC Museum/Archives houses films, photos, and documents chronicling the rich heritage of wildlife conservation.

A changing museum and state of the art research archive help the public, researchers and professional conservationists better understand the rich history of American wildlife conservation. An excellent chronology is provided at the Library of Congress' American Memory Historical Collections: The Evolution of the Conservation Movement 1850-1920.

The Audubon Society has a list of "Conservation Champions" here.